Former U.S. leader Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, are expected to be present at the funeral of Pope Francis, scheduled to hold this Saturday in Vatican City, according to a source who shared the information.
This upcoming event will be the first time Joe and Jill Biden will appear publicly alongside Donald Trump and his family since the inauguration that took place on January 20.
Although Biden, who practices the Catholic faith, had earlier planned to meet Pope Francis during his final days in office, those plans had to be dropped due to the destructive wildfires that hit Los Angeles at the time. That trip would have been his last international visit before leaving office.
Previous Meetings Between Biden and the Pope
Pope Francis and Biden have met on different occasions in recent years. In 2024, Biden spoke with the pope while attending the G7 summit in Italy. Before that, in 2021, they had a meeting during Biden’s time in Rome for the G20 summit.
Just last week, Biden turned his attention back to American politics with a strong statement criticizing Trump’s decision to remove staff members from the Social Security Administration. He stated that such actions could threaten the future of the Social Security program.
Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke. Since Wednesday, his body has been placed in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the public has had the chance to pay their last respects.
The funeral has been scheduled for April 26 and will begin at 10 a.m. local time in Vatican City, which is 4 a.m. Eastern Time. Over 200,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony at St. Peter’s Square, the large open space located in front of the basilica.
